No Good Deed - Inganni svelati

While a cop(Jackson in good form, and yes, he does get to do one cool speech in this) is out searching for a teenager that will never be anything other than a MacGuffin, he stumbles upon a band of quirky criminals looking to steal money from a bank. The femme fatale Erin(a *stunning* Jovovich), Tyrone, the brains of the operation(Skarsgård, threatening without even needing to be armed), Hoop, the slow-witted thief, and the Quarre's, a racist WW2 veteran pilot and his home-maker wife. $10 million is what they expect to get out of it... and that kind of dough can lead to backstabbing. Add to that that Murphy's Law is in effect when they go for the score. This is modern film noir, and it's fairly solid. The characters are all "grey", no black and white, not necessarily likable(not that any of them are annoying), well-cast, credible and well-written. Yes, they have some fun with how odd they are, but not excessively so. This isn't "funny" as such; at most it has sardonic moments and the occasional joke. It isn't about action, either. There's tension and suspense, and the plot is kept moving nicely by many twists and turns. Not everything is followed up on, and the ending doesn't really pack much of a punch... in fact, on the whole, this is a bit of a slow-burner. There is a bit of disturbing content, a little violence and nudity/sexuality. I recommend this for at least a rental for those into crime-dramas. 6/10

No good deed based on a short story by Dashiell Hammett is kind of movies that have many elements and themes of a classic film no-ire but it is not exactly one of them. The themes include a robbery plan that goes awry though here it is more of a con rather than robbery and it is executed without resorting to violence. Second theme is domed love

which in this movie is rather short, more of this later. The elements include mastermind and ruthless gangster, a femme fatal , and rude maniac hit-man. And add to these people a

couple that had a dream of living happily ever after. The strength of the movie is in building up of its characters. They all do what they are expected to do whether they act strongly or

weakly. Their strength and weakness comes from their personalities and not from the requirement of the plot. Erin character is the main difference of this movie from classic femme fatal. As a kept girl with ten percent rebate on pedicure expense, though she is cunning in some scenes , but she is also deadly frightened. Her motives are dark at worst and suspicious at best, but in her main thrust of manipulations (getting rid of Tyrone) she deserves our sympathy. Other characters do not show something unexpected ,but the story has enough power and twist that make the movie worthwhile and interesting. Movie scenes are limited, and most of it is in closed places which intensifies a sense of claustrophobia. This kind of story which has little physical action and is mainly based on suspenses needs good acting, that fortunately this movie does not lack it. This movie shows that good noir still can be made and their time has not passed yet

"No good Deed", as the DVD is entitled, tells of an off duty cop who stumbles on a house full of bad guys while looking for a lost girl and becomes their prisoner while the messy plot unfolds. Jackson plays a diabetic cop and the cello while Jovovich plays a femme fatale and the piano and their tenuous relationship becomes the only worthy thing developed by the film. Skarsgård (probably the most talented of the cast) and the rest of the core cast play silly caricatures not unlike those found in supermarket paperback novels. This poor attempt at film noir which is adrift between black comedy and shoddy drama is a heavy handed mess lacking finesse, fraught with gaping plot holes, and generally full of filler which contributes nothing to the meager story. Save this turkey (aka: The House on Turk Street) for broadcast when the surfin' is slim. (C+)

Having watched this film, I became bored after about 30 minutes and as it was only just over 90 minutes long I persevered in the hope it would improve!! No chance!!!

The Gang of Six were the WORST band of thieves ever put together in the history of Film Thieves!! Santa Claus, Granny, Psycho, a Member of the Adams family and 9 Toes! All in sync with the dodgy bloke in the bank, who made it so obvious what was going on, he'd have been sussed in an instance!!!

A slow, boring plot....a slow, boring cast....totally lacked invention and motivation.....PLUS, whatever happened to the missing girl???? If her mother was that bothered, why did she never get suspicious when Jack Friar (S L J) never returned???

Dire, Drab and waste of time...If anyone else gets the chance to watch this....DON'T!

Bob Rafelson's heyday may had been the 1970s but he can still direct actors who want to perform in a film rather than make movie.

In this modern take on a Dashiell Hammett story shot like low budget pulpish crime noir. It stars Samuel L Jackson as an off duty cop looking for a lost girl as a favour and he stumbles into a house full of strange people planning a robbery and is held captive.

Stellan Skarsgard is the suave leader of this motley group, whilst Milla Jovovich is the femme fatale who is playing people off one another but also acting against her will as she longs to escape from Skarsgard.

Jackson who is diabetic and likes playing the cello bonds with Jovovich who gives him insulin and she is also a talented piano player.

However the aftermath of the robbery does not go according to plan and there are double crosses aplenty whilst Jackson needs to escape his captors.

This is a film with a disparate group of characters who are caricatures, such as a dumb hothead, an elderly couple. It has good plotting, there is also a lot of character development helped by strong acting.

This is not a fast paced thriller but can be a rewarding film.